The New York City police department practices a “stop-and-frisk” policy by which a police officer can stop and question those the officer reasonably believes have committed, are committing, or are about to commit a felony or serious misdemeanor. Those stopped can be frisked for weapons if the officer reasonably believes he or she is in danger of physical injury. The stop-and-frisk police practice is constitutionally permissible if conducted properly, but in a 2013 class-action lawsuit, Floyd v. City of New York, federal district court judge Shira Scheindlin ruled that stop-and-frisk, as practiced in recent years in New York City, was an impermissible violation of citizens’ Fourth Amendment (search and seizure) and 14th Amendment (equal protection) rights. 

Question 

Judge Scheindlin said, “It is impermissible to subject all members of a racially defined group to heightened police enforcement because some members of that group are criminals.” Would you agree with Judge Scheindlin if homicides, rapes, and robberies continue to climb? Explain.